Neh
2021 · 15m · USA
Directed by Jesse Gi
A Korean-American man named Billy fakes his way through a first date at a Korean restaurant, pretending to be fluent in the language while grappling with the insecurity and regret of never having learned his heritage tongue.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Korean-American fakes Mandarin fluency on a first date at a Korean restaurant. Cringe-comedy-as-identity-crisis is now a subgenre with its own clichés — fine, watchable, won't haunt me.
Cringe-comedy as the route into second-generation identity crisis is well-trodden ground — Gi has Joon Lee and the right cultural specificity, and Tigertail's lineage is properly invoked. A competent execution of a familiar register; I'd watch it.
Cringe-comedy tension as the delivery vehicle for second-generation language guilt is the right register — the bluff IS the identity crisis, not a metaphor for it. 15 minutes, 51K views; whether the date setting sustains the comedic discomfort is the craft test.
Reviews
Tackles thorny emotions, examining the identity crises and insecurities felt by second-generation Americans through the kind of humor that will have you curling your toes.
Neh focuses on the identity crisis so many young second generation Asian Americans experience, having been told to be 'more American' while growing up, but also being criticized for not embracing Asian culture enough.
Festivals
- Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2021
- HBO APA Visionaries Short Film Competition 2021, Second Place